CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS OF THE LAST DAYS
SUMMARY COMMENTARY OF GOD’S INEVITABILITY:
RAPTURE
TRIBULATION
SECOND COMING OF CHRIST/ARMAGEDDON
MILLENNIUM
GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGEMENT
ETERNITY
This study is primarily concerned with the next great event on the calendar of prophecy:
THE COMING RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH
The Rapture of the Church refers to the events prophesied in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18; John 14:2-3. Even though there are other passages, we will focus on these two verses for our summary study.
“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are alive and remain, will be caught up together with them, in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”
Notice: Three times Paul stated that Christ would come for us and call us up; into the clouds; into the air. Christ here is not said to come down to the earth. Furthermore, He calls the Church UP to meet Him. Read it again in your Bible, especially if you have a copy of the KJV Study Bible. The KJV Study Bible is my preferred version, followed by the NASB Study Bible.
The concept of the Rapture was first announced by Christ Himself, in John 14:2,3. The disciples had gathered in the Upper Room to observe the Passover. For the first time it was revealed that prior to the Second Coming there would be a removal of believers in Christ from the earth. They would meet the Lord “in the air” and go to the place He was going to prepare for them — an obvious reference to heaven.
The truth of the rapture of the Church is a wonderful revelation presented to us by Christ Himself, and explained in more detail by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians.
Today, this is where we are in prophecy — awaiting the Rapture — the shout and the trumpet. But, be reminded as stated above, the Rapture has been the expectation of every generation since the first century, when these words were originally written.
THE GREAT TRIBULATION
A proper understanding of what happens in the Great Tribulation and the terrible judgments that will fall in that period make any thought of the Church going through this period unthinkable.
Suffice to say (for clarification): The Rapture and the Second coming may be more easily understood in this way:
Rapture is the event in which Christ takes the Church from earth to heaven; whereas the Second Coming is an event in which Christ brings the Church from heaven to earth.
At the Rapture, Christ will descend from heaven to the air above the earth, command Christians who are LIVING to be TRANSLATED — that is, to receive instant transformation of their bodies. Both the living and the resurrected dead will rise from the earth to meet the Lord in the air, and proceed in triumph to heaven. Upon arrival in Heaven, the “Judgment Seat of Christ” and The Marriage Supper of the Lamb will be fulfilled.
Meanwhile, back down on earth, seven horrible years of Great Tribulation will take place and carry the world to its final climax by the literal Second Coming of Christ to establish His long-awaited Kingdom here on Earth in Jerusalem.
JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST (JSC)
The Bible tells us in Hebrews 9:27: “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people.”
The Bible makes clear that all will be judged, but not at the same time, not at the same place. And the basis of the indictment is much different at these two Judgments.
Please turn to 2 Corinthians 5:9-10, where we read that all Christians will be judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ: “So we make it our goal to please Him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”
(Judgment Seat of Christ) Judgment of rewards, or loss of rewards
This judgment is not about morality! Sin is/was paid for at the Cross. This judgment is for Christians who have been forgiven their sins — “all sins.” Therefore, this judgment is related to REWARD. This is indicative of the words: “good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10 ). In the original, these words express “value,” not morality. The question becomes whether or not the value is acceptable or worthless in the sight of God. Good receives reward. Bad, means loss of reward.
How does Christ determine rewards? The short, quick answer is: deeds accomplished while walking by/in the Spirit. All born-again Christians have been justified! We have Christ’s Righteousness (doctrine of imputation).
1 JOHN 1: 9 USAGE DETERMINES REWARDS!
“Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that He cannot save; neither His ear closed, that He cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear” (Isaiah 50:1-2).
The purpose of 1 John 1:9, is restoration. It is written to believers. It is not how we are saved. It is how we are restored to Fellowship with the Lord. By naming our sins to the Lord, we are cleansed of all unrighteousness. Sin always causes separation from the Lord, but the Lord made provision for the believer’s WALK in 1 John 1:9, just as He made provision for the unbeliever’s salvation – the Cross (Romans 5:8).
The Holy Spirit executes the Christian Life!
Sins were paid by Christ on the Cross! After salvation, sin causes a temporary loss of fellowship. Therefore to walk with Christ, daily we must confess our sin (1 John 1:7-10). The Greek word confess, means to name, to agree, to admit, to recite. When we do, we are then restored by the Holy Spirit to fellowship, and we can continue walking with the Lord through fields of Grace. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105).
Confession is what yielded to God is referring to. “Yielding” is simply to name or admit our wrongdoing … 1 John 1:7-10. The result: The Holy Spirit is back in control of our thinking and our actions. The Holy Spirit gives us stability.
In Revelation 3:20: “Christ stands at the door knocking” and He wants us to open our heart-door so He can come in and fellowship with us. To open the door we simply utilize 1 John 1:9 and fellowship is restored by the Holy Spirit. Don’t sit at the table alone without the Holy Spirit.
When the Holy Spirit is in control, our deeds done in the spirit are REWARDED IN HEAVEN. This is what John 4:23 and 24 is expressing. When the Holy Spirit controls we are in fellowship (in literal worship mode).
BE TRUTHFUL WITH GOD!
God already knows your errors. So, admit (1 John 1:9) your faulty thinking and actions. Now, move on and be happy in the Lord.
With these things clearly in mind, we can now better understand the true purpose of the Judgment Seat of Christ. Rewards given or lost at the Judgment Seat of Christ (JSC). Judicially, all our sins (past, present, future) have been forgiven by Christ’s sacrificial physical and spiritual death on the Cross.
”In all thy ways acknowledge (Give God the credit for everything in your life) Him and He shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:6). Our experiential walk with Christ is all about our relationship with Christ. Being filled with the Spirit is true worship. Fellowship is a God-designed lifestyle for the believer and it is accomplished by the filling of the Holy Spirit – not us, but the Spirit in us. We worship and serve God in Spirit and in truth.
The Holy Spirit must be allowed to perform God’s Plan for your life and in so doing God receives the glory, and you receive rewards in Heaven at the JSC. This is God’s Grace Plan for the believer.
Great White Throne Judgment (GWTJ)
The GWTJ is for the unbeliever, whose sin(s) has never been forgiven, even though his sin(s) has been paid, the debt was not erased, not covered by the blood of the Lamb, because the unbeliever has not believed in Christ (Acts 16:31).
Those who live life their own way without Christ, without ever receiving Him as Savior, without the forgiveness of their sins, are condemned already (John 3:18). They have much to regret, but at the GWTJ it will be too late, and those people will wish they had never been born. What a tragedy, that people reject God’s “gift” offer — salvation through Jesus Christ. (John 3:14-18, 36; Ephesians 2:8-9).
Men are already condemned at physical birth, because they are born into sin (John 3:18; 9:34); (the imputation of Adam’s original sin). The believer has been born again (a new species in Christ), and has the imputed righteousness of Christ, who never sinned and was qualified to die to save us. To be fair with every human being, God sent His Son to die, to take each person’s place on the Cross. What an awesome God we believe and serve! Therefore, mankind is without excuse! Each person must stand on the Cross-work of Christ, or stand on his own merit. It is difficult to stand when you are dead in sin!
Every person ever born in the flesh, will stand at one of the two judgments. Where do you stand with God?
FUTURE EVENTS FOLLOWING THE RAPTURE
Volumes have been written about the End Times. For purposes of this study we will only give you the chronological order of events to come after the Church is Raptured out of harm’s way.
Immediately after the Church is removed from earth to heaven, the Great Tribulation described as “The time of Jacobs Trouble,” will commence. This is a period of 7 years. Much is recorded in Scripture regarding this terrible time that is yet future, but perhaps not very far.
This period ends with the Second Coming of Christ with vengeance on the world of unregenerate mankind.
Christ will destroy all his enemies — the enemies of His people. This is called Armageddon. Christ will then establish His earthly kingdom for one thousand years called the “Millennial Reign of Christ,” centered in Jerusalem.
This is followed by the Great White Throne Judgment.
The GWTJ is the climax of history. Then God will create a new Heaven and a New Earth and so shall we ever be with the Lord in total bless, thanks to God’s Plan of Grace centered in His Son Jesus Christ.
For those of you who really want to go into the future and search out Scripture on the End Times, I recommend two Books. Both are by the same author and Bible Prophecy Scholar: John F. Walvoord. “Major Bible Prophecies — 37 Crucial Prophecies That Affect You Today“ and “ARMAGEDDON, OIL AND THE MIDDLE EAST.“ What the Bible says about the future of the Middle East and the End of Western Civilization. Both books are published by Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
These future events are unparalleled and I strongly recommend that you order your copies now, or call your local Christian used book store.
Happy Studying